Barney Stinson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Barney Stinson | |
|---|---|
 Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson (2006) |
|
| First appearance | Pilot |
| Created by | Carter Bays & Craig Thomas |
| Portrayed by | Neil Patrick Harris |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Barn, The Barnacle, Barnito supreme, Swarley, Swarles, Swar-(wait for it)-ley, Swarhili, Bob Swarley-mon, Swar-lay, Swarles Barkley, Swarlos, Jennifer, Starney Binson |
| Aliases | Jack Package, The Commodore, Larney, Ted Mosby - Architect |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 33 |
| Occupation | Not specified |
| Family | James (brother), Bob Barker (purported father), Leslie (cousin), Unnamed mother, Unnamed Nephew, Tom (brother-in-law) |
Barney Stinson is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris.
Contents |
[edit] Role on How I Met Your Mother
Barney Stinson is one of five main characters on the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother. The show revolves around Ted Mosby as he falls in love. Stinson, a womanizer, resolves to help Ted find a woman.[1] Through several seasons of the show, four of the main characters were couples, as Ted began dating Robin Scherbatsky and Ted's roommate Marshall Eriksen became engaged (and later married) to Lily Aldrin. This left Stinson the only single character, and, according to Neil Patrick Harris, who portrays the character, Stinson was "resentful" that the other characters had paired up.[2]
Harris was invited to audition for the character by Megan Branman, the casting director for the show. He assumed that he was invited solely because the two were friends and did not believe he had a chance of winning the role. Harris later said that "Since I (considered) myself the long shot, I didn't care that much, and I think that allowed a freedom."[1] His audition centered around a scene of laser tag, and Harris executed a dive roll, accidentally knocking over a chair. CBS executives enjoyed his performance, and Harris was quickly offered the part.[1]
[edit] Character
Harris describes Stinson as a man who "likes to create crazy situations and then sit back and watch it all go down."[3] In the show, Stinson is a womanizer who almost always wears a suit and is always willing to offer his opinion.[1] Although The Early Show described him as "utterly devoid of morality", Stinson lives by his own code of rules, which includes a lemon law for blind dates.[2] However, according to creator Craig Thomas, Stinson is "a pretty fragile character who's really afraid of being alone. He just wants people to like him, to be important to people, and to have disciples who follow his word."[4] A flashback in the episode Game Night reveals that Stinson had been an innocent young man who wanted to join the Peace Corps with his one and only serious girlfriend Shannon. When she left him for a suit-wearing womanizer, Stinson morphed into a similar man.
While Stinson's softer side is not seen often,[4] it is not always relegated to flashbacks. When Eriksen and Aldrin broke their engagement in season one, Stinson often lured women away from Eriksen so that he could remain faithful to the woman he truly loved.[3] It was later revealed in a flashback that it was Stinson who had gone to San Francisco and begged Aldrin to go back to Eriksen, even buying her a ticket for the trip back.
Stinson's family life was defined in flashbacks in the episode Showdown, which established that Stinson's mother was a promiscuous woman who claimed that his father was Bob Barker, longtime host of The Price is Right.[1] Stinson also has a half-brother, James (played by Wayne Brady), who, unlike Stinson, is African American and homosexual.
Although Stinson's occupation has not been fully specified[2], the show has revealed that he works for Altrucel, a large company that produces military weaponry, petroleum, and the "fuzzy yellow stuff" on tennis balls. Barney's job within Altrucel is shrouded in mystery; whenever he is asked what his exact profession is, he always replies with a laugh and a "please." Although Stinson's alma mater has not been specifically revealed on the show, in the episode How Lily Stole Christmas, Barney is seen wearing a shirt from Cornell University.
He became friends with Ted after meeting at a urinal in the bathroom of a bar, and then sitting down next to him later that night to "teach him how to live." Barney often states that he is Ted's best friend, only to be corrected by Ted, who retorts that he (Ted) and Marshall are best friends.
Barney is also an amateur magician of some skill, this comes from Neil Patrick Harris being very interested in magic himself as well as being proficient at playing the piano. Barney is also a Star Wars fan, going as far as to have a life-sized Clonetrooper statue in his apartment.
[edit] Catchphrases
In the show's pilot, Stinson first utters his most recognizable phrase, "Suit up!", as he tells others to dress like him. According to creator Thomas, this is a sign that Stinson "thought of his suit as some kind of superhero outfit that separated him from the pack."[4] The phrase is repeated in many episodes, and is often modified to fit whatever clothing Stinson is wearing, such as "Flight suit up!".[4]
As the show's most popular character, Stinson is rewarded with the best catchphrases. Besides "Suit up!", he often describes schemes as ""Legendary!". He also frequently intersperses the phrase "Wait for it" between syllables of a long word.[4] The season two finale closed with Stinson saying "Legen -- wait for it...", and he opened season three with "..Dary!"
In the show Stinson frequently approaches attractive women with Mosby in tow and asks "Have you met Ted?" as a way to start a conversation with strangers. Thomas says that this phrase is based in real life, as a one-time friend of his often used a similar line to meet women.[4]
[edit] Reception
According to The Early Show, Stinson is one of the main reasons that the show has been a success.[2] Maclean's says that Stinson is the show's most popular character and explains that the most likeable characters are often those with the best catchphrases.[4] In 2006, TV Land named Stinson's "Suit Up" one of the 100 Best Catchphrases. Stinson's signature phrase is one of only four from contemporary television shows, as writers are now less likely to have a character repeat a phrase in many episodes.[4]
In 2007, Harris was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work playing Stinson.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Dransfeldt, Jeffrey (April 26, 2008), “Harris is enjoying Barney's adventures in 'How I Met Your Mother'”, Ventura County Star, <http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/apr/26/well-dressed-womanizer/>. Retrieved on 2 May 2008
- ^ a b c d Neil Patrick Harris on Playing a Cad, The Early Show, October 9, 2006, <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/09/earlyshow/leisure/celebspot/main2073399.shtml>. Retrieved on 2 May 2008
- ^ a b Pierce, Scott D. (September 3, 2007), “Legen-dary!”, Deseret Morning News, <http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695206220,00.html>. Retrieved on 2 May 2008
- ^ a b c d e f g h Weinman, Jaime J. (December 25, 2006), “Why Barney is the new Fonzie”, Maclean's, <http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20061225_138541_138541>. Retrieved on 2 May 2008
- ^ “And the nominees are”, The Daily Telegraph, September 14, 2007, <http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22416961-5006343,00.html>. Retrieved on 2 May 2008
|
|||||||||||
